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Fifty-one men were found guilty on Thursday at the Avignon courthouse, in front of which a demonstration was taking place. A broadcast room was dedicated to relatives: only one person per accused could enter.
A simple cordon demarcates two spaces on the esplanade, between the gates and the steps of the Avignon courthouse. On one side: a swarm of journalists waiting to have their badges issued once they reach the glass doors of the entrance. On the other: a thin corridor reserved for the accused who are currently still free, and to whom the president of the court had asked to present themselves, Thursday morning, for the verdict in the Mazan rape trial. Some opted for the strategy of uncovering their faces to try to pass discreetly through the crowd of demonstrators, banners raised, which they had to cross. Others pulled up their masks and lowered their hoods, provoking boos and commotion as they passed. Following them, their families collect and trace, heads bowed.
It is mainly women who accompany the accused for this day of verdict. They were also the majority who took the stand during the hearing, to try to tell the story of a son, a husband, a father… Some forgive, others are still stunned by the facts. “And it will still be them who will go see them in the visiting room,” sighs, empathetically, a demonstrator.
After entry, it’s time for screening and security searches for everyone. The big ones
